INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SCIENTIFIC & TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH VOLUME 9, ISSUE 01, JANUARY 2020 ISSN 2277-8616

Exploring Empathy Among Eastern, Central,

And Western Indonesia Counseling Students
Mungin Eddy Wibowo, Edy Purwanto, Sri Rahmah Ramadhoni

Abstract: This study explored degree of empathy among eastern, cental, and western indonesian counselling students with a total of 577 students
selected using cluster random sampling technique. The data collection technique used was IRI (The Interpersonal Reactivity Index) instruments. Results
indicated there are differences in empathy between Eastern Indonesia, Central Indonesia, and Western Indonesia and there were no differences
empathy in gender. These findings suggest counsellors with an understanding of the empathy and formed by counsellors in empathy development is
important.

Index Terms: empathy, counselor development.

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1. INTRODUCTION This study investigated whether the difference in empathy can

The ability of empathy is a person's ability to know and
understand the emotions, minds, and nature of Others [1].
Byrne & Baron stating that empathy is a Individual ability to be
able to feel the feelings or experiences of others [2]. Empathy
has been a key concept in understanding why and how
counseling works (Duan & Hill, 1996; Rogers, 1957). [3]. [4].
Therefore, prospective counselors should be able to identify
themselves and simultaneously accommodate the viewpoint
and interests of others. Since the profession of counseling
begins to learn and communicate empathy has been seen as
the foundation for counseling [5]. Empathy is an ability to
identifying what is being thought about and perceived by
others to respond to their thoughts and feelings proper attitude
[6]. Individuals with high empathy are usually philanthropic,
endeared to intercourse, easy to self-adjusting and confident
[7]. However individuals with low empathy which can appear
distorted, including not caring for others, violence (fighting),
frown, caring for others manifested in the form of being
taunted even mocks [8]. Researchers who investigate the
main factors associated with psychotherapy whose quality
puts empathy as one of the most repentant counselors [9].
Though there has been a marked increase in research on
empathy in adolescence, very little research has examined
adolescents who are considered exceptionally empathy in
counseling practice in Indonesia. However, to date, no
empirical studies were identified that support the assertion that
some adolescents display empathy. A gap in the literature
exists, which this study addressed.
be found in Male and Female counselling students and
explored degree of empathy among eastern, cental, and
western indonesian counselling students. Exploration of this
topic may help inform, counsellors, psychologists, and
educators how to best support youth to develop their unique
gifts. Effective counselors maintain empathy toward others.
Therefore, understanding counseling students of empathy, as
well as its relationship in counseling, could be important to
counselor educators. A better understanding of Empathy and
how it functions among counseling students could inform
teaching, admissions, and curricular practices.
2 METHOD
The subjects in this study were eastern, central and western
Indonesian consisting of 577 counseling students originating
from UIN Mataram, Universitas Pendidikan Mandalika
Mataram, IKIP PGRI Pontianak, Universitas Tanjungpura
Pontianak, Universitas Negeri Semarang and Universitas
Sebelas Maret Surakarta are selected purposive sampling.
The Interpersonal Reactivity (IRI) was adopted that was
developed by Davis (1980) that assessed empathy based on
four subscales which are perspective taking, empathic
concern, fantasy, and personal distress. The IRI inventory has
66 items and uses Likert scale with five options criteria,
namely: STS (very infeasible), TS (infeasible), CS (fair), S
(feasible), and SS (very feasible) [10]. This instrument had
item validity of 0.61 to 0.71 and alpha coefficient reliability of
0.70 to 0.78.

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 Author name is currently profesor of education in counseling,
Indonesia, PH-08156610531. E-mail: mungineddy@mail.unnes.ac.id.
 Co-Author name is currently master of education in counseling,
Indonesia, PH-082257563711. E-mail:
sriramadhoni@students.unnes.ac.id.

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 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SCIENTIFIC & TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH VOLUME 9, ISSUE 01, JANUARY 2020 ISSN 2277-8616

3 RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

Table 1. The Result of Analysis of Mean and SD

G IS N MEAN SD
Male Eastern Indonesia 42 229.9 11.531

Female 119 227.28 12.663

Score 161 227.98 12.399

Male Central Indonesia 41 227.12 14.107

Female 124 228.72 14.391

Score 165 228.32 14.295

Male Western Indonesia 71 233.39 10.986

Female 180 231.02 10.498

Score 251 231.69 10.670

Based on Table 1, it can be seen that the values obtained from
the empathy measured using the IRI (The Interpersonal
Reactivity Index) instruments were reviewed by gender, in
male students of Eastern Indonesia (M= 229.9 SD=11.531)
and female students of Eastern Indonesia (M=227.28
SD=12.663) with a total score (M=227.98 SD=12.399)
whereas, in male students of Central Indonesia (M=227.12
SD=14.107) and female students of Central Indonesia
(M=228.72 SD=14.391) with a total score (M=228.32
SD=14.295) and in male students of Western Indonesia
(M=233.39 SD=10.986) and female students of Western
Indonesia (M=231.02 SD=10.498) with a total score (M=
231.69 SD=10.670).

Table 2. GLM Test (Two Way ANOVA)

EMPATHY
EFFECT F df p
Indonesia Section 5,856 2 ,003
Gender ,938 1 ,333
Indonesia Section*Gender
1,245 2 ,289

Based on the results of calculations on Indonesia Section
variables values (F =5,856, p < 0.05), this indicated that there
are differences in empathy between Eastern Indonesia,
Central Indonesia, and Western Indonesia. In gender variables
values (F = .938, p < 0.05), this indicated that there were no
differences in empathy between male respondents and female
respondents. In the effect of the interaction with the level of
Indonesia Section and gender variable obtained the value (F =
1.245, p > 0.05, this indicated that there is no interaction
between the level of Indonesia Section and gender in
influencing the empathy. Overall, the goal of this study was to
explore the differences in empathy among east, central and
West Indonesian counseling students. Several unexpected
findings were demonstrated, which could have theoretical and
training implications for counsellors. Based on research
reviews on empathy and cultural orientation, it is hoped that a
higher level of empathy will be found for persons with
constructive independent interdependent compared to self-
constructive individuals [11], [12]. However, in this study, West
Indonesian counseling students scores higher than the eastern
and central Indonesian counseling students at IRI, which
measures the overall level of empathy [13]. When the IRI
subscale is analyzed, the results show that the students of
West Indonesian counseling students score are much higher
than in east and central Indonesian counseling students.
Empathy is crucial to the counseling process and the
development of empathy have been emphasized in most
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undergraduate counseling programs [14], [15]. Empathy done
well in the guidance and counseling process can provide a
basic understanding of what clients feel and the experience
that bases their feelings and can build counseling
relationships. Candidates who have empathy in the high
category can understand the problems that other potential
counselors face better, with adequate empathy, and
prospective counselors have the ability to listen to others '
talks well, to accept other people's points of view, and be
sensitive to others ' feelings. If the prospective counsellor has
a self-awareness, open to self-emotion, it will be able to read
the feelings of others and if the empire is low then prospective
counselors will have indifferent, selfish behaviors, and do not
worry about crisis conditions in others. To improve the
competence of multicultural counseling and improve
counseling skills, it is important for educators counsellors,
counselor counselors, and counselor trainees to consider
cultural orientation as a factor Influences the perception of
empathy both inside and among individuals of various
cultures. More research needs to be conducted to gain a
greater cross-cultural understanding of the empathy that is
measured by commonly used instruments.
4 CONCLUSION
The most significant level of difference was viewed from the
level of Indonesia Section showed that counseling students
have significant differences as well as the level of counseling
students in Eastern, Central, Western Indonesia. However,
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Gender differences do not have a significant effect on the level

of empathy in Eastern, Central, Western Indonesia counseling
students. Furthermore, the next researcher is expected
to be able to use a non-quantitative approach model such as
the experimental approach model and model development and
other variables that have not been discussed in this study.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT
This research is funded by the Ministry of Research,
Technology and the Higher Education Republic of Indonesia
through Postgraduate Grant Year 2019.

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